Agatha Christie historian and speaker
Gray and I are really pleased to be returning to the International Agatha Christie Festival’s Spring Gathering event in Torquay on 11 April 2026, presenting a new live episode of The Swinging Christies. Tickets are limited and bound to sell out again so grab one now!
Our first video episode of The Swinging Christies is now available – recorded LIVE in front of a sold-out crowd at the International Agatha Christie Festival, filmed and edited by the brilliant Emberlense Productions! Video available on YouTube and supported podcast apps, including Spotify (audio only elsewhere).
Just a quick update to say what a fantastic day I had at the Agatha Christie Festival Spring Gathering, which included the unveiling of the new statue of Christie on Torquay Harbour. Don’t miss it if you’re in the area!
Gray and I had a wonderful time speaking in front of such a warm audience about our ‘Story so far…’ – we can’t wait to return in September for our live recording of a new episode. I’ll also be speaking about Witness for the Prosecution in my own talk, sharing some lovely and rare images and information. Tickets for both talks are still available but selling fast!
I’m writing this update happily ensconced in the guest room at Greenway while I work on my next book, as I’m taking the chance to visit for a few days while I work on my book. Talk about atmospheric!
The programme has now been announced for 2025’s Agatha Christie Festival, and it looks like it’ll be another great year!
I’ll be appearing at two events. One is a special live recording of The Swinging Christies, my podcast with Gray Robert Brown. We will be looking at the most Swinging images of the decade!
Then I’m also giving my own talk, about Witness for the Prosecution, in which I talk about the journey of Christie’s greatest short story* from page to stage and screen. I’ll be sharing some rare treats!
You can book your tickets at the festival’s website – hope to see you there!
(*as voted for by the festival’s audience in 2023!)
What a busy few months it has been! I’ve been busy working on some new projects, one of which should be announced in a month or two, while some others have now come to fruition.
It’s great to see that Travels with Agatha Christie & Sir David Suchet has now launched on Britbox US and Canada. I was consultant for the series, and pop up in the first episode wishing David luck with his voyage, and showing him some press cuttings. It’s a fascinating series that shows how the world has changed since Agatha and Archie’s 1922 ‘Grand Tour’. It’ll be on Channel 4 in the UK later this year, and I believe it has been picked up by an Australian broadcaster too.
Also, I’ve recently given a few talks to kind and generous audiences, including at Hampshire WI’s annual meeting, where I think I converted a few members into Christie readers!
The Swinging Christies podcast, which I produce and present with Gray Robert Brown, has gone from strength to strength, with some great bonus episodes (even if I do say so myself!) covering everything from Muriel Spark to the new Miss Marple stories. You can catch us on any major podcast app. We will also be speaking at the celebrations surrounding the unveiling of the new Agatha Christie statue in Torquay on 12 April, and at the time of writing there are still a few tickets left for what promises to be a memorable day.
I’m also pleased to see the publication of the book Reassessing Murder, She Wrote, edited by Eva Burke and Jennifer Schnabel. I contribute a chapter exploring the influence of Agatha Christie on the show (of course!).
There is, of course, much more to come – tomorrow sees the schedule announced for the 2025 International Agatha Christie Festival, and you can be sure I’ll be there! More about that very soon…
Finally, a quick word about social media. I’m no longer on X/Twitter, but you can still find me on Instagram and Bluesky.
It’s been a busy couple of months with the launch of my new book Agatha Christie’s Marple: Expert on Wickedness, now out worldwide. The UK publication neatly coincided with the International Agatha Christie Festival in Torquay, which meant there were plenty of opportunities to discuss my work. This included sell-out talks on both Miss Marple and, with Gray Robert Brown, our podcast The Swinging Christies. We even teamed up with Kemper Donovan of All About Agatha for a special crossover episode!
Elsewhere, I’ve been doing plenty of publicity, including an appearance on ITV’s Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh, which you can watch below. We were keenly overlooked by quite the collection of Miss Marples!
It had been lovely to see the positive reception that my book has received. I was particularly thrilled to get such a good write-up from Nicola Upson in the Times Literary Supplement.
I have plenty of plans in place for next year, including two projects that I was the consultant for. I’m very excited about them, but can’t say much more yet! All will be revealed in the next couple of months…
The (almost) full details for the International Agatha Christie Festival 2024 have now been announced, and I’m thrilled to say that I’ll be speaking about the search for the “definitive” Miss Marple in the evening of 13 September at 7pm. I’ll be discussing Joan Hickson’s Miss Marple and other depictions (including Helen Hayes) sharing new information and some nice clips and illustrations. This is as well as the Swinging Christies event with Gray Robert Brown on the Wednesday. I’m also taking part in the All About Agatha panel on the Thursday evening (debating the best screen adaptation).
There is more to be announced, and I may pop up at another event… It’s sure to be a great week, so do join us in Torquay! Details here.
I’m so excited to launch The Swinging Christies, a new podcast co-presented and co-produced with the writer Gray Robert Brown. It looks at Agatha Christie in the 1960s and, among other things, argues for a reappraisal of her later work. You can find episodes on all major podcast platforms, including Spotify, Audible and Apple Podcasts. More info over at Christietime.com.
I’m also honoured to say that I will be one of the speakers at this year’s Bodies from the Library event, taking place at the British Library on 1 June. Tickets available from their website now.
Dr Mark Aldridge 